1. Neil Leifer was born on December 28,1942 and is an American sports photographer and filmmaker known mainly for his work in the Time Inc family of magazines.
17 Facts About Neil Leifer
1. 2.
Neil Leifer grew up in a Jewish family on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City.
3.
At the age of thirteen, Leifer was introduced to photography through the Henry Street Settlement House, which offered free classes to the poor children of the neighborhood.
4.
Neil Leifer began taking sports pictures, since it combined the two things that he liked.
5.
When he was not doing photography in his youth, Neil Leifer had all sorts of odd jobs, such as shining shoes and delivering sandwiches.
6.
Neil Leifer gained free admission to the December 28,1958 NFL title game between the Giants and Baltimore Colts.
7.
Neil Leifer had his first cover shot in 1962 at age 19.
8.
Neil Leifer's shot of Ali and a defeated Williams has been seen by millions and was voted the greatest sport photo ever by The Observer.
9.
In 1978, Neil Leifer left sports for a wider range of assignments with Time Magazine and produced 40 covers for the magazine.
10.
In 1992, Neil Leifer covered both the Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France and the Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.
11.
In later years, Neil Leifer gradually reduced his photography workload, turning his attention to films, although he has been known to come out of retirement for a special cover shoot for Sports Illustrated on rare occasions.
12.
In recent years, Neil Leifer has focused his creativity to the moving image.
13.
Neil Leifer is the director, producer and often writer, of noteworthy film including features, shorts, and documentaries.
14.
In 2007, Neil Leifer was shortlisted for the documentary film short Oscar for Portraits of a Lady which he directed, and co-produced with Walter Bernard.
15.
The Best of Neil Leifer is a retrospective of Neil Leifer's 40 years as a photojournalist and showcases the best of his sports and non-sports photographs.
16.
In Relentless: The Stories behind the Photographs Neil Leifer gives a behind the scenes look at the stories behind fifty of his most iconic pictures.
17.
Neil Leifer was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014, becoming the first photographer to be elected to a professional sports hall of fame.